苹果拟推动数码专辑在线销量

童姥

苹果(Apple)正与四大唱片公司合作，在音乐下载中捆绑互动小册子、唱片套说明以及其它功能，以求改变苹果iTunes网上商店的购买趋势，刺激数码专辑的销售。
随着音乐零售业从在商店销售CD发展到数码下载，实体专辑的销售额已大幅下降。如今，消费者购买大量数码音乐，但他们青睐单曲，而非利润率较高的专辑。
据知情人士介绍，苹果正与百代唱片(EMI)、索尼音乐(Sony Music)、华纳唱片(Warner Music)和环球唱片集团(Universal Music Group)合作，筹备一个代号为“鸡尾酒”(Cocktail)的项目。
被过滤广告上述唱片公司和苹果正致力于在9月份推出这个项目，该项目旨在通过捆绑内页说明、照片、歌词本和视频短片，提振消费者对专辑的兴趣。
“一切都是为了重现专辑的顶峰时期，那时，你会与朋友们坐在一起，一边听音乐，一边观赏[唱片封套上的]照片，”一名熟悉相关计划的高管人士表示。
多名业内高管表示，消费者将能够从互动小册子直接播放曲目，而无需点击返回iTunes软件。
“这不仅仅是一堆PDF文档，”一名高管表示。“[消费者]与辅助内容之间有真正的互动。”
上述唱片公司拒绝置评。
据追踪零售数据的尼尔森音乐统计(Nielsen SoundScan)称，2008年，美国专辑销售减少了14%，但音乐下载与上年相比有所上升。
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译者/和风

Apple is working with the four largest record labels to stimulate digital sales of albums by bundling an interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other features with music downloads, in an effort to change buying trends on its online iTunes store.
Physical album sales have fallen sharply as music retailing has evolved from compact disc sales in shops to digital downloads. Consumers are buying large amounts of digital music, but individual tracks rather than higher-margin albums.
Apple is working with EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music Group on a project codenamed “Cocktail”, according to people familiar with the situation.
The labels and Apple are working towards a September launch date for the project, which aims to boost interest in albums by bundling liner notes, photographs, lyric sheets and video clips with the music.
“It's all about recreating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork while you listened to the music,” said one executive familiar with the plans.
Consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into iTunes software, executives said.
“It's not just a bunch of PDFs,” said one executive. “There's real engagement with the ancillary stuff.”
The music companies declined to comment.
Album sales in the US fell 14 per cent in 2008 to 428.4m units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks retail sales data. Downloads were up on the previous year, however.